At the speed of sound: RBC conversational voice biometrics a Canadian first

Enhanced convenience for clients, with one less password/PIN
to remember and real time voice authentication in seconds

TORONTO, October 5, 2015 -
A Canadian first for fast, secure client identity verification has been launched by RBC, the first organization in the country to provide Canadians with voice verification through natural conversation.

RBC Secure Voice verifies a client’s identity within seconds – in fact, by the time you’ve finished reading this sentence, your identity would already have been authenticated using this new voice biometrics system. There’s no need for passwords/PINs or to respond to a standard series of authentication questions. Clients also do not need to memorize and repeat a specific, dictated phrase – a requirement of other voice biometrics systems.

Instead, when you call an RBC Contact Centre, your voiceprint – which is unique to each individual – is matched to your live voice in “real time”, within seconds of your call.

“With RBC Secure Voice, our advisors can begin assisting our clients right away – an added convenience our clients are already telling us that they really appreciate,” explained Claude DeMone, vice-president, Business Enablement, RBC. “We realize the typical verification process can sometimes seem like a series of skill-testing questions – RBC Secure Voice simplifies this process significantly. All you need to do is talk to an RBC advisor and the distinctive qualities of your voice take care of all the rest.”

Following a successful pilot this summer, the full launch of RBC Secure Voice is now being phased-in throughout the fall. Enrolment and activation is a simple four-step process:

When an RBC client calls an RBC Contact Centre to discuss their financial needs, the advisor offers to enroll them in this free voice verification service.

If the client agrees, the advisor records a voiceprint that is unique to that individual.

The voiceprint is encrypted and stored on RBC’s secure server.

The next time the client calls an RBC Contact Centre, their identity is quickly verified by matching their live voice with their voiceprint – a process that takes only seconds to complete.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 38 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2014, we contributed more than $111 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $76 million and $35 million in sponsorships.